Sinfoniekonzerte

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As I have suggested, Haenchen and the orchestra's performance was robust, committed, and varied. As a group the players moved and slid well, ..... The laurels should go to smaller groups of instruments, instead: the oboes (second and sixth movements), horns (second), clarinet (conclusion of the first particularly), the low brass and strings (rarely have I heard such molten, adamantine drones as the ones offered here at various points in the finale), and solo violin and flute (Eric Robberecht and Carlos Bruneel in the scherzo), all absolutely outdid themselves.

The ineffable transcendence so vital to the work sadly stayed just out of reach, the absence felt particularly in the decrescendo at the end of the penultimate movement. Haenchen managed a much more impressive conclusion to the finale (Herschel's 'ewig…ewig' was caressed onto the air), where tone and volume coalesced to vapour....
Stephen Graham